Letters to the Editor

I find it interesting that the village will allow only one taxi company to function in Rockville Centre, yet allows that company to advertise a political candidate on every taxi.

Why do I have to give money to a company that is advertising a candidate I do not support in order to get transportation? It seems to me that if the village is going to allow only one company to function, and it is going to issue it a license, politics should not be involved.

There seems to be a rather obvious arrangement here, which does not speak well of how the village does business.

Michael V. Cardone

Rockville Centre

Why single out the taxis?

To the Editor:

I don’t consider myself Republican or Democrat. But I do consider myself an American who cares greatly for the rights of others as outlined in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Having said that, I read in last week’s Herald that a taxicab company seeking to establish business in RVC was denied by the village board, with the excuse that there were already ample taxi services in Rockville Centre, and the village board denied the company license approval (“Village denies VCS appeal,” Sept. 12-18).

Needless to say, certain questions came to my usually inquisitive, skeptical mind as to why the denial was actually imposed. There have always been “pay to play” charges filed against federal, state, county and other municipalities around the country, in an attempt to allow good old American competition to decide what the people want and not have possible interested parties make that decision. Free enterprise is an American hallmark, is it not?

Rockville Centre has a plethora of bars, taverns and pubs from which to choose without many complaints about there being too many. Another cab company might just be helpful in giving inebriates a better option than driving home drunk, therefore saving someone’s life.

The same goes for restaurants, bakeries, banks, convenience stores, drug stores, liquor stores, gas stations, health clubs, etc. Are these and the many other businesses so regulated? I think not. Why then single out a taxi company?

All of us should be watchdogs for the rights of other people. Too many times the “little guy” gets pushed around by rich, influential or politically powerful bullies. More investigation should be made into this matter, before another “little guy” becomes one of the growing number of victims.